HM Treasury

ECOFIN: 10 November 2015

Mr George Osborne: A meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council will be held in Brussels on 10 November 2015. Ministers are due to discuss the following items:Ministerial Dialogue with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) CountriesECOFIN ministers will meet their EFTA counterparts before the Council proper to exchange views on economic growth and structural reforms. Current Legislative ProposalsThe Presidency will update the Council on the state of play of financial services dossiers. Capital Markets UnionThe Council will be invited to adopt conclusions on the Commission’s Capital Markets Union Action Plan. Implementation of the Banking UnionThe Commission will give an update on several dossiers linked to the Banking Union: the Single Resolution Fund, the Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive and the Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive. Single Resolution Mechanism – Rules for Bridge FinancingMinisters will be asked to provide guidance on the proposal for providing bridge financing for the Single Resolution Mechanism. Economic Governance and Follow-up to the Five Presidents’ ReportThe Council will have an initial discussion on the Commission’s recent package of proposals following the Five Presidents’ Report. Climate FinanceThe Council will examine draft conclusions on climate finance which constitute the second part of the COP21 negotiating mandate. Follow-up to the G20 and IMF meetings in Lima of 8-11 October 2015The Presidency and the Commission will report on the G20 and IMF meetings in Lima in October.


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Department for Transport

Update on Government action: Vehicle emissions testing programme

Mr Patrick McLoughlin: I wish to inform the House of the latest developments on vehicle emissions testing, following the revelations that Volkswagen Group had been fitting so-called defeat devices to some of its vehicles. The Government takes the unacceptable actions of Volkswagen extremely seriously. Our priority is to protect the public and I have taken a number of steps to investigate what went wrong and what we can do to stop it happening again. I have been clear that I expect VW to do everything necessary to protect its UK customers, but it is right also that the Government carries out its own thorough and independent investigation to: establish whether the use of defeat devices goes wider than the VW Group; andgather much-needed evidence to restore public confidence, improve our understanding of the real world emission performance of vehicles, and strengthen our ambition and influence in pushing the EU to move to a comprehensive real world testing regime. We have already taken a range of actions. The UK testing body, the Vehicle Certification Agency, has secured assurance from all automotive manufacturers outside the VW Group for whom it has issued emissions type approvals that defeat devices have not been used. We will of course be testing this for ourselves. We have already retested VW Group vehicles for which the UK provided type approval. These initial tests provide valuable information, improving our ability to detect a defeat device and strengthening our understanding of the impact it has on vehicle emissions, including CO2 and NOx. We have also begun a wider testing programme to understand the real world emissions performance of a broader selection of vehicles in the UK. This is crucial to improve the accuracy of environmental assessments – used for both air quality management and infrastructure investment. This programme will test a representative selection of vehicles used on UK roads, including a sample of the newest and the UK’s top selling vehicles. I have secured agreement from my opposite number in Germany that our technical teams will work cooperatively together. This will enable us to reduce duplication and ensure a wide range of vehicles are tested. My officials will continue to look for further opportunities for collaboration with other European partners with a view to securing additional efficiencies. This investigation is vital in restoring public confidence. We will look at vehicles from across all main brands sold in the UK – manufacturers will be treated equally. We must act urgently to remedy wrongdoing but we must also ensure that the results from this investigation are viewed fairly and in the context of the completed work. A report will be prepared at its conclusion and I will provide an update on progress by the end of the calendar year. Alongside this, we have succeeded in reaching an agreement with the European Commission and Member States that represents a real step change in the way in which testing is carried out – for the first time real world testing will be part of the regulatory regime from 2017. This is an important milestone, but we will continue to press for EU level action towards a comprehensive approach to emissions testing, to restore consumer confidence and deliver our wider air quality and climate objectives. We have a major work programme underway and I will continue to inform the House of developments.


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Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Extraordinary Competitiveness Council on the Steel Industry

Sajid Javid: On Monday 9th November I represented the UK at an extraordinary meeting of the Competitiveness Council in Brussels at which we discussed the challenges facing the steel industry in the EU. The Council was convened by the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union following my request. All Member States agreed that the steel industry is facing acute pressures as a result of global overcapacity and rapidly rising levels of imports and that this is having a negative effect across the whole of the EU – hurting not just steel-producing nations, but also those involved in supply chains. The Council considered the impact of global overcapacity, unfair trading practices, energy costs and regulatory burdens on the competitiveness of the steel sector. At the end of the meeting a number of actions to support the steel sector were set out in Presidency conclusions and include: Improving the instruments available to the European Commission to allow for faster and more effective trade defence investigations;Making full and timely use of trade policy instruments to ensure a global level playing field in the steel sector;Intensifying discussions involving steel producers in the context of the OECD Steel committee and through dialogues with countries like China, Russia, Belarus, Turkey and India;Holding a high Level stakeholders’ conference involving social partners, industry and users to discuss the current state of the sector and policy actions that should be taken forward;Assessing the implementation of the 2013 European Steel Action Plan in the context of the current crisis facing the steel industry;Improving the access of EU exporters to third markets;Using EU funds to support the modernisation of the steel sector, retraining and reintegration into the labour market;Looking at all possible ways of supporting energy intensive industries within the current state aid framework;Using the review of the Emissions Trading System to ensure that the steel sector remains competitive while still meeting climate change goals, specifically by creating a more focused mechanism for the free allocation of allowances and removing the need for a cross-sectoral correction factor;Swiftly implementing the European Energy union to ensure access to secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy; andFully exploiting the proposals under the upcoming European Commission circular economy strategy to support the sector. Follow-up to this meeting will take place when the Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee (Trade) meets on 27 November and when the High Level stakeholder conference on steel is convened. In the meantime, my department will continue its work to support Britain’s steel industry and the workers who have recently lost their jobs.


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Department of Health

Government response to ‘No voice unheard, no right ignored’ consultation

Alistair Burt: The Government is today publishing its official response to the consultation paper “No voice unheard, no right ignored—a consultation for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions.”No voice unheard, no right ignored was presented by the previous Government because not enough progress had been made to transform the care of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health problems as promised in the wake of the Winterbourne View scandal.The consultation posed questions primarily related to:assessment in mental health hospitals for people (all age) with learning disability or autismadult care and support, primarily for those with learning disability but also for adults with autism (and the links to support for children and young people); andall those to whom the Mental Health Act 1983 currently applies (including children and young people). We have listened to the views expressed in response to the consultation, and agree there is a need for further action to realise the vision of everyone being treated with dignity and respect by health and care services, and enjoying the same rights as everyone else. The response comprises a number of phases of activity, namely: early actions that seek to sustain momentum generated, chiefly through the use of existing powers and building on work currently underway;further changes, including proposed legislative changes that cannot be achieved via existing powers (these changes relate principally to the Mental Health Act 1983); anda third phase, which explores more radical solutions to longer-term issues, together with ongoing monitoring and review, and a clear back-stop that the Government will intervene further via legislation if the improvements sought are not being realised in practice. The proposals in this document go hand in hand with the substantial programmes of work being put in place under the Transforming Care Programme, including the recently announced “Building the Right Support” national transformation plan. This was published on 30th October by NHS England, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to reduce reliance on inpatient capacity and increase community-based provision. A national NHS England fund of £45 million will be available to Transforming Care Partnerships over the next three years to aid the transition, focussing on ensuring that the right support is available in local areas to enable the first discharges. Central to the progress set out by the plan over the next three years will be new, high-quality, community-based services. The plan predicts that, as these services are put in place, there will be a reduction of up to 50% in the number of inpatient beds, meaning that some units will close altogether.The proposals for action are put forward in the context of, and subject to, the Government’s comprehensive spending review. We will continue to engage with stakeholders and those with expertise by lived experience in a spirit of co-production as we take these proposals forward.The consultation was undertaken by the Department of Health in England. However, as the Mental Health Act applies across England and Wales, it recognised that any changes to the law in Wales would have to be agreed by the National Assembly for Wales.A copy of the Command Paper (number 9142) entitled “Government response to No voice unheard, no right ignored—a consultation for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions” is available to honourable Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office, online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-rights-for-people-with-learning-disabilities and is attached.



Command Paper 9142
(PDF Document, 873.73 KB)





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Home Office

Review of the Forensic Archive Ltd

Mike Penning: I am pleased to announce that the Home Office has begun the first review of the Forensic Archive Limited (FAL). FAL was established in October 2012 to manage and maintain material previously held by the Forensic Science Service.Reviews of non-departmental public bodies are part of the government’s commitment to ensuring accountability in public life.I will announce the findings of the review later in this financial year.


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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

EU renegotiation: letter to European Council President

Mr David Lidington: In his statement to the House on 19 October, (HC Deb, col 656) following the October European Council, the Prime Minister my right honourable Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron) said that he would be writing to the President of the European Council to set out the changes the Government wished to see in reforming the UK’s relationship with the European Union. A copy of that letter is attached to this statement.



Letter to European Council President
(PDF Document, 356.91 KB)





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